Quick-serve restaurant owners are some of the busiest people you may ever know. In addition to sales, food quality, staffing, safety, regulations, marketing, staying ahead of the competition, and inventory management, quick-serve restaurant owners have to keep track of financial performance,...

Like a tropical storm, many different elements came together in 2013 to create a standout year for Fiesta Restaurant Group, parent company to fast-casual brands Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana. After years of climbing sales and store counts, tinkering with the store design and menu, and strategic...

Craig Bernstein knew he wanted to be a restaurateur as early as the sixth grade, and in the summer of 2013, he transformed those childhood ambitions into a reality with the debut of Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen.
Named in honor of Bernstein’s father, Dr. Robert Bernstein, the Chicago-based eatery is a...

Thanks to British ex-pat Nathan Coe and his Nantucket Pasty Co., the pasty is becoming a household term—and an oft-enjoyed culinary item—in the seaside community of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Leveraging the talents of Culinary Institute of America–trained pastry chef Josh Smerdon, the two-year-old...

Charlotte, North Carolina–based Bojangles’ may fall into the chicken quick-service category, but as any executive, operator, employee, or loyal fan will tell you, it’s all about the biscuit.
And for good reason: The item is included or featured in nearly 80 of the brand’s menu items, a fact that...

Q: Everyone says word-of-mouth marketing is the best form of marketing, but how do you actually create it?
A: Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing has always been very powerful, but today’s technology and culture make it a particularly ripe time to harvest its power. The primary way to get the most out of...

Earlier this year, research firm The NPD Group confirmed what many in the quick-service industry have known for years: The breakfast wars are real, and there’s more at stake then a Waffle Taco or a better cup of coffee. NPD’s “A Look into the Future of Foodservice” report found that the quick-...

It’s hard for aficionados in any field to avoid the desert-island question. For music mavens, it boils down to, “Which album would you take with you, if you could only take one?” Movie lovers have to decide which film they’d want to watch, possibly in perpetuity—a question that bears careful...

KFC has been named the Most Trusted Quick-Service Restaurant Brand in India, ahead of all other Indian and global quick-service restaurant brands, by the Brand Trust Report 2015 study. KFC also ranked as the number one brand in India on the Retail Category list. KFC is part of Yum! Restaurants...

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) today announced that Carlton Curtis, vice president of industry relations for The Coca-Cola Company, has been honored with the 2015 Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality Award. This award is a tribute to an individual who...

In its 14th consecutive year of issuing a Global Responsibility Report, Starbucks offers its perspective on what it means to be a corporate citizen in the 21st century and shares its progress and challenges.

The nation’s largest barbecue chain, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is opening its first location in New Jersey on Thursday, March 19 at 11 a.m. The fast-casual barbecue chain offers meats pit smoked onsite, home-style sides, and free ice cream with every meal. In celebration of the new location in East...

Los Angeles–based sweets brand Coolhaus has extended its customer reach through a new partnership with Kroger grocery stores. Across the U.S., 1,300 Kroger locations will now carry select flavors of the architecture-inspired ice cream sandwiches, as well as its recently launched pints.

Pieology Pizzeria announced today the opening of its fifth Portland location at Fox Tower on Friday, March 20. Pieology’s five Oregon locations, including Fox Tower, Washington Square, Grant Park, Nyberg Rivers, and Clackamas Town Center, are locally owned and operated by husband-and-wife-duo...

What can I possibly tell you about potatoes, dear quick-serve industry professional, that you don’t already know? It’s not as though you’re unacquainted with America’s favorite starch. You may even know that it’s the world’s fourth-largest food crop, trailing behind only rice, corn, and wheat,...

Having started as a sandwich maker with Subway when he was 18 years old, Gurpreet Singh has spent nearly half his life in the quick-service industry. Now a Checkers franchisee, Singh has spent time in every quick-serve job imaginable: line worker, manager, general manager, and, today, franchisee....

While the fast-casual category continues to be the fastest-growing industry sector, the road in 2015 will be bumpy. We will see constant change and challenges around every corner. For industry leaders, there are issues that will keep even the most seasoned executive awake at night.
Here is my top...

Like much of the rest of the economy, the 2008 economic meltdown brought a massive slow-down to the quick-service franchise industry. The combination of tightfisted money lenders and general economic uncertainty put franchise businesses in a near impossible position when it came to accessing...

When Lori Newcomb found out she had stage III ovarian cancer last year, she made it her mission to learn more about the disease and help other women fighting the same battle. She sat down with her husband, Chris Newcomb, cofounder and CEO of Southern quick-service chain Newk’s Eatery, and together...

What can I possibly tell you about potatoes, dear quick-serve industry professional, that you don’t already know? It’s not as though you’re unacquainted with America’s favorite starch. You may even know that it’s the world’s fourth-largest food crop, trailing behind only rice, corn, and wheat,...